Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-07-30
CHAPTER ".
ALpnoNsE AND HIS ANNETTE.

ALfflONSE AND his ANNETTE
After dinner we thoroughly inspected all
the outbuildings and grounds Of the station,
which consider the most successful as well
rs the most beautiful place Of the sort that
have seen i'm Africa We then returned to
the veranda, where we found Umslopogaas
taking advantage of this favorable opportu-
nifty to clean thoroughly all the rifles. This
was the only work that he ever did or was
asked to do, for as a Zulu chief II was beneath
his dignity to work with his hands; but such
as 1t was he did it very we'll 1t was Curl
Gus sight TO see the great Zulu sitting there
upon the floor, his hattleax resting against
the wall behind him, while his long, aristo-
cratic looking hands were busily employed,
delicately, and with the utmost care, cleaning
the mechanism of the breech leaders. He had
a name Tor each gun One--a double four
bore belonging to Sir Henry--was the Thun-
derer; another my 500 Express, which had
peculiarly sharp report, was .'the little one
who spoke like whip the Winchester re-
peaters ''the women, who talked so fast that
you could not tell one word from another;n
the six Martins were "the common people,"
and SO on with them all. II was very curious
to hear him addressing each gun as he cleaned
it, as though it were an individual, and in
vein of the quaintest humor. He did the
same with his battleax, which he seemed to
look upon as an intimate friend, and to which
he would at times talk by the hour, going
over all his old adventures with it--and
dreadful enough some Of them were. BY
piece of grim humor he had named this AK
"Inkosi-kaas,n which is the Zulu word for
chieftainess. For long while l could not
make out why he gave 1t such name, and at
~ -.
ak was evidently feminine, because of her
womanly habit of prying very deep into
things, and that she was clearly chieftainess
because all men fell down before her, struck
dumb at the sight of her beauty and power.
In the same way no would consult "Inkosi-
kaas" if in any dilemma; and when ! asked
him why be did so, no informed me II was
because she must needs be wise, having
Cooked into so many peoples brains"
took up the ak and closely examined this
formidable weapon. 1t was, as | have said,
Of the nature Of a poleax The haft, made
out of an enormous rhinoceros horn, was
three feet three inches long, about an inch
and quarter thick and with a knob at the
end as large as Maltese orange, left there to
prevent the hand from slipping. This horn
haft though so massive, was as flexible as
cane, and practically unbreakabe; but, to
make assurance double sure, it was whipped
round at intervals OF a few inches with copper
wire-all the parts where the hand grippe
being thus treated. Just above where the
haft entered the head were scored number
Of little hicks, each nick representing O man
killed in battle with the weapon. The ak it.
self was made Of the most beautiful Steel and
apparently OF European manufacture, though
Umslopogaas did not know where il came
from, having taken it from the hand of a
chief he had killed In battle many years be-
fore. II was not very heavy, the head weigh
ing two and a half pounds, as nearly as
could judge The cutting part was slightly
concaye in shape-not convex, as is generally
the case with savage battleaxes--and sharp
as a razor, measuring five and three-quarter
inches across the widest part. From the back
OF the ak sprang a stout spike four inches
long, for the last two of which it was hollow,
and shaped like a leather punch, with an
opening for anything forced into the hollow
at the punch end to be pushed out above--in
fact, in this respect it exactly resembled a
butchers poleax. IL was with this punch
end, as we afterward discovered, that UNI
slopogaas usually struck when Fighting, dIiy-
ing q neat round hole in his adversary US skull
and only using the broad, cutting edge for
circular sweep, or sometimes in a melee. !
think he considered the punch neater and
more sportsmanlke tool, and it was for his
habit Of pecking at his enemy with il that he
got his name Of "Woodpeckerp Certainly in
his hands it was a terribly efficient one.
Such was Unslopogaas' ak, Lnkosi kaaa,
the most remarkable and fatal hand to hand
weapon that | ever saw, and one that he
cherished as much as his own life. II
scarcely ever left his hand except when be
was eating, and then he always sat with it
under his les.
just as | returned bis ak 10 Umslopogaas
Hiss Flossie came up and took me OF to sec
her collection of flowers, African liliums and
blooming shrubs some Of which are very
beautiful, many OF the varieties being quite
unknown 10 me, and also. / believe, to
botanical science / asked her il she bad
ever seen or heard of the Goya lily, which
central African explorers have told me they
have occasionally met with, and whose won
derful loneliness has filled them with astonish-
ment. This lily, which the natives say
blooms only once in ten years, hourishes in
the most arid soil
To my great delight Miss Flossie told me
that she knew tho flower well. and had tried
to grow it in her garden, but without sue
cess, adding however, that as it should be in
bloom at this time Of year, she thought that
she could procure me a specimen.
After that / fell to asking her il she was
not lonely up here among all these savage
people, and without any companions Of her
own age.
"Lonelylp she said sob, indeed not ana
as happy as the day is long, and besides have
my own companions
nj e. a .